Physical Activity of the Right- and Left-Footed Professional Soccer Players from Symmetrical Defensive Positions

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to compare the physical match performance of right- and left-footed external defenders during official matches of Polish Ekstraklasa. The sample comprised 991 individual observations from 296 matches during the 2019/2020 season. Variables such as total distance, distance covered in high-speed running and sprinting, and number of high-intensity runs were analysed. Additionally, the data were presented in relation to match duration and effective playing time. Right external defenders (right ED) covered significantly longer total distance (p < 0.001, 1.5%), high-speed running distance (p < 0.001, 5.6%) and sprinting distance (p < 0.001, 11.4%) compared to left external defenders (left ED). The number of high-intensity runs was greater for right RD as well (p < 0.001, 6.4%). Physical match activity for left ED who are left-footed was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in comparison with right-footed left ED. The number of offensive actions played on the right side of the pitch was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than those performed on the left side. Players whose dominant foot is in accordance with the side of the pitch cover longer distances during the match. Moreover, the number of offensive actions played through the wings could affect the physical performance of external defenders.

The Relationship among Acceleration, Deceleration and Changes of Direction in Repeated Small Sided Games

“…Acc and Dec are classified as external training loads and are typically monitored using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology ( Aughey, 2011 ; Beato et al, 2018 ; Beato and de Keijzer, 2019 ; Cummins et al, 2013 ). Change of direction (COD) actions (e.g., side-steps, swerves, turns, crossover steps, and by-pass maneuvers) are essential types of movements on the soccer pitch giving a player the chance to effectively evade or mark an opponent, to create space for his or her teammates, and to score a goal ( Konefał et al, 2021 ; Rouissi et al, 2015 ; Trecroci, et al, 2018a ). During one season of English Premier League match play, between 1000 and 1500 discrete movement changes were observed per game, with changes in activity occurring, on average, every 3.5 s ( Trecroci et al, 2020 ).…”